Dark Mirror
by Ael L. Bolt
Summary: Tiberius Kirk, captain of the I.S.S. Enterprise, has never forgotten the rebellion that James Kirk started on his ship. After many years of preperation, he's ready to take on his counterpart...and make him wish he'd never been born.
1. Default Chapter

Dark Mirror by Admiral Ael Danks  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Deception  
  
Disgrace  
  
Evil as plain as the scar on his face  
  
Deception  
  
Disgrace  
  
He asked for trouble the moment he came  
  
Born in grief  
  
Raised in hate  
  
Helpless to defy his fate  
  
Let him run  
  
Let him live  
  
But do not forget what we cannot forgive  
  
And he is not one of us  
  
He has never been one of us  
  
He is not part of us  
  
Not our kind  
  
Someone once lied to us  
  
Now we're not so blind  
  
For we knew he would do what he's done  
  
And we know that he'll never be one of us"  
  
-"One Of Us", TLK2 Soundtrack  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Prologue  
  
"In every revolution, there is one man with a vision," the other-Kirk said to him that day.  
  
"One man cannot summon the future," he had argued.  
  
"But one man can change the present!" the other-Kirk declared.  
  
The other-Kirk had stepped onto the transporter pad, ready to return to his own universe, presumably never to be seen again. But Spock was not finished yet.  
  
"Captain Kirk," he had said with the first sincerity he had shown toward this gentle double, "I shall consider it!" And then he had activated the transporter; the other-captain disappeared in red and blue diamonds.  
  
A moment later, the real Kirk had materialized in the transporter room, along with his officers. Each one glanced down at their uniform and smiled slightly, but the smile on Kirk's face was that of a deadly predator.  
  
"Mister Spock," he demanded as he stepped down off the transporter pad, "report!"  
  
Spock had stood at attention, saluting the captain. "Sir, the transposition was only temporary. I surmised your dilemma and was able to identify your counterparts within a short amount of time."  
  
"How short?" This was certainly the true captain, for he was demanding and unforgiving.  
  
He kept his face calm and neutral. "Three point four hours, Captain."  
  
Kirk's temper flared, and he turned on his first officer. "You allowed such an obvious deception to continue for so long without realizing...?"  
  
"Captain," he had said, "your counterpart was an excellent actor, and a very perceptive man. He was able to put on an extremely convincing performance." Before Kirk's wrath was stirred any further, he added, "You should be proud to know that you should have those same abilities. It is unfortunate that you have wasted those talents."  
  
Kirk's eyes had narrowed as he looked upon the Vulcan in disgust. "I will not tolerate such insubordination. Guards, escort Mister Spock to his quarters and confine him there. Prepare the Agony Booth; full intensity, full duration." His cold hazel eyes bored holes in the other man. "I will tolerate no insult aboard my ship. This is not that reflection universe; this is the true universe. There must be discipline! I will not allow the shadows of the reflection universe to influence my officers further." He indicated the door with a jerk of his head. "Get this traitor out of my sight."  
  
The redshirt guards took out their phasers and escorted the Vulcan out the door. As the red entrance panel slid back to reveal the dark gray corridor, Spock looked over his shoulder at the true landing party and repressed a shiver of fear. Kirk was well-known for his single-minded drive and incredible anger. With the proper motivation, it was possible that he would find a way to destroy that which was his target.  
  
The universe of light.  
  
Behind him, Kirk smiled wolfishly, making a mockery of the other-captain's charm. His fists clenched tightly, he hissed, "Victory! That shadow Kirk is in over his head."  
  
Eyes flashing a dangerous gold, he strode out into the hallway and began to make preparations. 


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"_Captain's Log, Stardate 6152.7. All is quiet along the Klingon border. The nearest planet is Halkan, a few light-years away. The _Enterprise_ visited Halkan two years ago, and I hope the physical proximity to the planet does not summon bad memories for any of the four crew members involved in that incident..._"

Captain James T. Kirk sat in his command chair, looking over the most recent news from Starfleet HQ on a padd. A class-J planet had been discovered in the Polaris system, the _Lexington_ had avoided a nasty incident involving an escaped tribble, blah blah blah...Kirk stifled a yawn as he looked through the data. _There is nothing going on out there,_ he mused. _It seems quiet. Too quiet. And knowing our luck, something's bound to happen sooner or later...and more likely than not, it will be sooner..._

Kirk glanced over at Spock and smiled as he saw that even the unshakable Vulcan was getting a little bored. The Vulcan was leaning back in his seldom-used chair, slender fingers dancing idly over the console as he ran yet another computer check. The science officer was barely looking at the buttons and switches he was manipulating, knowing the station like the back of his hand.

Kirk looked around the bridge, listening to the low murmuring voices as bored crewpersons chatted quietly amongst themselves. Without turning around, he could tell that Uhura was listening on the Rec Deck's annual pillow fight. Sulu and Chekov had called up the newest version of Starship Encounter on the central console: Klingons against Romulans, if he wasn't mistaken. Scotty was in back, reading yet another technical journal and muttering to himself.

Kirk smiled to himself. Now all they were missing was Bones-

As if he had been waiting for that exact moment, the turbolift doors swished open and Doctor McCoy stepped out of the 'lift. He looked around the bridge at the casual activities, and then at the back of Kirk's head. "I see you're finally slacking off a bit up here," he commented dryly, breaking the relative silence. "My kind of ship."

Kirk gave the floor a slight push with one boot, causing his chair to swivel around to face away from the viewscreen. "Why, Bones, I didn't know you cared."

"Damn straight," McCoy replied instantly, easily slipping into the lighthearted "practical joker" role he often had in non-combat situations. "About time you stopped going off on those crusades. I'd rather trade it all in for a mint julep."

A slight chorus of chuckling ran around the rim of the bridge. Everyone knew about McCoy's reluctance to share in the militaristic opinions of the rest of the crew.

Kirk grinned. "Well, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that nothing is-"

The automatic Red Alert snapped on suddenly, and the wailing of the alarm drowned out whatever he was going to say. The ship's usual white light changed to blood red, and Kirk was already swiveling around in his chair quickly to face the viewscreen. "Report!" he snapped, all humor gone.

The ship shuddered noticeably, and each crewperson had to grab the edge of their console or seat to keep from being thrown around the bridge. "Phaser blast, Captain!" Sulu answered. "Unidentified ship approaching!"

"On screen!" Kirk ordered, and the viewscreen snapped on to show a familiar shape trailing behind the _Enterprise_.

"A _Constitution_-class ship?" McCoy blurted in disbelief. "Why would they be attacking us?"

Kirk was as confused as McCoy. "Uhura, open a channel to that ship."

"Channel open, sir." Uhura sounded distinctly nervous.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the starship _Enterprise_," Kirk said. "Identify yourselves! Why are you attacking?"

Silence from the comm. Another phaser blast struck the _Enterprise_, and during that small instant, the shields dropped.

A low hum began, and a flash of red and blue surrounded Kirk. In a few moments, he was gone completely.

"JIM!" McCoy shouted as he noticed Kirk's disappearance. "Spock, he's GONE!" Everyone stared in shock at the empty chair.

In the silence, Uhura touched her earpiece. "Mister Spock? The other ship is hailing us."

Spock slowly moved over to the captain's chair and, even more slowly, sat down in it. "Put it on the viewscreen, Lieutenant."

The viewscreen came on in a swirl of white. Spock's heart thundered, drowning out the gasps of shock and horror that went around the bridge. McCoy whispered a terrified obscenity.

The man in the center chair of the opposing ship grinned at them demonically, the movement causing a deep scar across his face to shift noticeably. It gave him the look of a devil on a rampage. His once-handsome features, now marred, gave him the appearance of a horrible, bloodthirsty dragon. Cold gold-green eyes burned holes in the viewscreen.

Uhura, McCoy, and Scotty had all gone perfectly silent as they stared at the fiend from their past. The villanous creature leaned forward in his chair. "This is Grand Admiral Tiberius speaking."

Spock finally found his voice. "Grand Admiral, we are a peaceful vessel. Please state your intentions."

The scarred man in the chair guffawed, as if what Spock had said was the biggest joke in the universe. Quieter laughs went around the other ship's bridge as their officers shared the dark humor. But Tiberius was laughing the hardest of all.

The Grand Admiral finally regained control of himself, still grinning evilly. "By the black suns, shadow-Spock, you haven't changed one bit. Still that sense of humor. I believe my intentions are perfectly clear." He rose from his tall-backed ebony command chair and took a few steps forward, moving with liquid grace that defied his appearance. He stopped after a few paces, when only his mutilated face was on the viewscreen. "Your captain stole a universe from me. And now, I'm here to do the same to him. Starting with you."

The mirror James Tiberius Kirk gave the order to fire.


End file.
